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Chapter 1
“What exactly do you mean by that?”
As if reflecting his gloomy mood, the man’s low voice seemed to scrape against the floor.
He was naturally a blunt and expressionless man, but this was the first time Pesha had ever seen him look this angry.
Because of that, Pesha secretly watched his reaction.
The man had sharp eyes set beneath deeply sunken eye sockets, a high nose, and masculine features. Despite his handsome appearance, which looked as though it had been carved into a smooth statue, his expression was frighteningly grim.
Pesha had been absentmindedly admiring his face when she suddenly came to her senses.
‘Wait. Why am I worried about his reaction? I’ve done so much for this territory!’
She clenched her fists tightly, gathering her courage.
Then she brought up the words she had wanted to say ever since their marriage.
“Let’s get divorced now.”
She had made this decision a long time ago.
Ever since they got married.
No, even before they got married!
She had been forced into this marriage almost as if she had been sold off, but she thought their life as a couple who only pretended to be married had lasted long enough.
There was no way this man intended to continue this dishonorable marriage for much longer either.
Ever since her marriage, Pesha had worked tirelessly to rebuild this territory, which had practically been nothing.
There were several reasons for it, but first and foremost, she had been thinking about the alimony she would demand when they divorced.
‘I’ll take the divorce settlement and live comfortably on my own.’
Her thoughts had not changed even now.
Of course, they had never discussed such a thing beforehand. However, even when the territory was struggling financially, the man in front of her had never been stingy with money. And there was no denying that her contribution had played a significant role in building up his current wealth.
So she intended to make her demand confidently.
‘But I never expected to run into trouble before I could even bring up the settlement.’
Owen, her husband, stared intently at Pesha’s determined face before asking,
“Why?”
“Huh?”
“I asked why you want a divorce.”
Pesha was a little taken aback.
‘Isn’t it obvious?’
Neither Owen nor Pesha had entered this marriage of their own free will.
So she thought it was only right for them to go their separate ways at this point.
Pesha moved her eyes around before answering.
“You didn’t marry me because you wanted to either, did you?”
“……”
“And…”
Was it okay to say this?
After hesitating for a moment, Pesha continued.
“And you… you have another woman.”
“What…?”
“I thought that the longer I stay in your way, the harder it will be for the woman who is truly supposed to become your wife. Isn’t that right?”
Owen’s face stiffened.
He froze as though he had never expected to hear her mention her.
‘Did that hit the mark?’
With a triumphant smile, Pesha began seriously trying to persuade him.
“I’ll explain everything properly to His Majesty and my father. I’ll make sure you don’t suffer because of this. I don’t even want that much in alimony. Just a small portion of what you earned this time…”
At that moment, a loud bang! came from Owen.
He had thrown the divorce papers Pesha had handed him into the trash.
Pesha’s eyes widened in surprise.
Owen spoke with dark, sunken eyes.
“If you already know, then this should make things easier to explain.”
What? Oh, the woman?
Since it finally seemed like they were going to have a proper conversation, Pesha’s expression brightened.
“I’ll make sure your new countess suffers as little as possible! I’ll make a proper handover, so don’t worry.”
The moment she confidently said those words—
“Pesha Namoi.”
Pesha’s shoulders flinched when he called her by name.
It was the first time Owen had ever addressed her like that.
What was more, he had called her by her married surname rather than her maiden name.
Hearing her own name sound strangely unfamiliar, Pesha blinked in surprise.
Owen’s black eyes flashed as he met her gaze.
Then he opened his tightly closed lips.
“You were the one I wanted from the very beginning.”
Pesha looked at him in confusion.
“Uh… what?”
“I went through all this just to make you Pesha Namoi. And now you’re talking about divorce?”
A bitter smile appeared at the corner of Owen’s mouth.
“There’s no way I’m going to divorce you.”
“Lord Namoi. I heard that you dealt with the dimensional rift that appeared in the east again this time. I can never cease to admire your bravery.”
The entire country was in a festive mood.
A hero had appeared like a ray of light for an empire that had suffered through years of war.
Count Owen Namoi had driven out the army of the Kingdom of Clapton, which had long been one of the empire’s greatest problems, as soon as he appeared on the scene.
He had also wiped out all the foreign tribes scattered around the border who preyed on small villages, and in the east, which had practically been considered a dead land because of monster attacks, he had defeated groups of monsters as well.
He was a symbol of the end of the war and the hope of the empire.
“To have gained such a hero during my reign is an indescribable joy.”
The Emperor, sitting on his throne, praised Owen for his achievements without holding back.
Yet, contrary to his words, his voice was utterly emotionless.
The man kneeling on one knee before the throne, still unable to take off his military uniform, gave a short reply.
“You flatter me.”
“There is no need for humility after achieving such great things. The moment I heard of your victories, I kept thinking about what kind of reward I should give you.”
“……”
“Then I remembered that you are still unmarried despite having already passed the usual age for marriage.”
The Emperor’s words caused the atmosphere in the banquet hall to stir.
At the same time, everyone’s gaze turned toward a woman who was standing stiffly among the crowd.
The Emperor continued speaking without paying any attention to her.
“There is also some fault on my part for giving you important missions one after another, leaving you no time to marry. So I discussed the matter with several trusted subjects.”
As soon as news spread that Owen Namoi had reclaimed the eastern lands, a rumor had quietly spread throughout even the lowest levels of high society.
It was a rumor filled with both ridicule and pity that some noble young lady would become the wife of Owen Namoi, a commoner by birth.
“After hearing various opinions, the decision I made was… Duke Rydel, come here.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
At the Emperor’s call, Duke Rydel stepped forward and stood beside him.
The Emperor patted Duke Rydel’s shoulder and said,
“Duke Rydel here has willingly agreed to give me his daughter.”
At that moment, the daughter of Duke Rydel, Pesha, who had been dragged to the party by her father as if she were being led to a slaughterhouse, squeezed her eyes shut.
“Therefore, I hereby grant you Duke Rydel’s daughter, Pesha Rydel, as your wife.”
The declaration she had desperately feared had become reality.
‘Absolutely not!’
Pesha, who had been standing among the crowd at the banquet, walked straight toward the Emperor, bowed her head, and shouted.
“Your Majesty! Please take back your words!”
It was an unexpected outburst.
The Emperor’s eyes widened, while the nobles who had been quietly whispering began murmuring loudly.
“Pesha!”
The most shocked of all was Pesha’s father, Duke Rydel.
He grabbed Pesha by the arm and pulled her back as he scolded her.
“What are you doing?! How dare you refuse His Majesty’s command?”
To defy the Emperor.
For her father, the head of the prestigious House of Rydel and a loyal subject of the Emperor, it was absolutely unacceptable.
‘But he’s the loyal subject. Not me.’
Pesha had an important reason she could not back down.
“Your Majesty! I don’t want to marry Lord Namoi. I… I will become a nun instead of getting married!”
Duke Rydel angrily squeezed Pesha’s shoulder hard enough to hurt.
“How much further are you planning to humiliate your father?!”
He shouted as though he could not bear any more embarrassment, then immediately apologized to the Emperor.
“Your Majesty, I raised my daughter incorrectly. I will discipline her properly and send her to Lord Namoi, so please do not withdraw your command.”
The Emperor seemed briefly taken aback by Pesha’s refusal, but after receiving Duke Rydel’s apology, he cleared his throat.
“Ahem. Then I shall consider the House of Rydel to have agreed to this marriage as previously discussed.”
It was a one-sided decision that completely ignored Pesha’s pleas as the person actually getting married.
She had resorted to an extreme measure to stop a marriage arranged without her consent, yet it had all been useless.
Pesha desperately turned her gaze away, only to notice Owen Namoi, who was still kneeling on one knee with his head bowed.
Pesha’s shoulders flinched.
Right. That man had heard everything.
It must have been humiliating enough for him to be dragged straight from the battlefield to the banquet hall like a hunting dog, without even having time to change out of his military clothes.
And now she had rejected the marriage in front of everyone as well.
There was no way he could be in a good mood.
Yet despite this humiliating situation, he did not move an inch. He remained rooted to the spot.
For some reason, the sight of his back made Pesha feel a little sorry for him.
But in truth, it was like a mouse worrying about the condition of a cat.
There was no other way it could be.
‘Because Owen Namoi might kill me.’
And not just kill her.
He might kill her in a horrifying and brutal way.
